“We are hearing the sound of shelling continuously and the situation in Ukraine is pretty bad. I along with my friends and others are staying at the metro station shelter. There is no heater or proper blankets to protect us from the biting cold,” says Anaina Anna, daughter of Sandhya and Vinod from Derebail, now stranded in war-torn Ukraine.
In a WhatsApp call, she told DH, “There is no proper water supply and food here. There is a huge line in front of shopping malls for water. It is a difficult time.”
Anaina is a third-year medical student at V N Karazin Kharkiv National University. On realising the tension between Russia and Ukraine, she had booked a ticket to return to India on February 26. But, the airport was shut down, leaving her stranded.
She said that the embassy authorities in Ukraine had advised them to seek safety by shifting to shelters and bunkers on February 24.
“We spent the night at shelters. By 7 am on Friday we could return to our flats. However, at 11 am, a missile was dropped near our flats forcing us to return back to the metro station shelter,” she said while explaining the grim situation.
“Transportation facilities had been hit and we are confined at one place. Airways and roads are blocked. It is not possible to move near the border of Poland which is situated in the eastern part. There was heavy snowfall as well,” she added.
MLA U T Khader blamed the BJP-led governments at the Centre and state for problems being faced by Indian students in Ukraine.
"The government delayed the evacuation process despite being aware of the rising tension between Russia and Ukraine 15 days ago," he added.
15 students from DK stranded in Ukraine
Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Dr Rajendra K V said 15 students from the district were stranded in war-torn Ukraine.
“Information about the 15 students was given to Dr Manoj Rajan who is appointed as a nodal officer by the government to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and Embassy of India for safe repatriation of Indian citizens stranded in Ukraine," he added.